EGK

The 2nd Blog of the Day--Tschüß Elder and Sister Liggett

2010-09-08T04:01:00.001-06:00

It's kinda a weird feeling. ALthough I have a week left, for some reason, people keep telling me that this is the last time I will be able to see them. This is the Outreach Couple for Munich. They will be in Frankfurt with the Young Single Adults until Thursday next week... And that's just one of the seemingly hundreds of people that have told me this... It's a weird feeling to be this old on my mission...

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Werner

2010-09-08T03:56:00.001-06:00

This is the picture that I wanted to put on last week, but couldn't... That's Werner.

Rosenheim

2010-08-30T05:12:00.000-06:00

It was so crazy to be back. I worked with Elder Glad, from my group, and we met up with a lot of old faces. The Ojo's, the Osman's, Werner... I'll post pictures next week... My computer today is kinda dumb and I don't have a card reader... Lame.

We met with all these old investigators and just had a great time. I'll tell you all about it in a couple weeks... Haha.

Last Zone Conference

2010-08-23T03:56:00.001-06:00

Friday, August 20, 2010

I am holding in my hand the program for the last Zone Conference I will take a part of. It actually went really well. We taught about a new lesson plan we recieved from the Area Presidency and I think it went over quite well. There were 6 of us leaving, and it was kinda cool to be able to share that all with them. We bore our testimonies and sang a musical number together. Crazy to think that I'm the one standing in this position now...

And no, this is not what I wore to Zone Conference. Just thought it better described how close to mission-death I am... That tie is made out of leather... Haha...

Ties

2010-08-16T04:28:00.001-06:00

I've decided to do something for the last few weeks. A transfer is 6 weeks long, 42 days. I counted my ties and realized I have enough to wear one tie every day from the rest of the transfer. Every night, I parade around the apartment, and begin what I like to call the "Retiring of the Tie" ceremony. The tie is removed, untied, folded and put into my "Tie Box," where these ties will remain until they are packed. This picture is of my unworn ties...

In addition to this little tradition, I am still continuing to sing all the songs in the German Hymnbook, and am on track to finish before the 15th. I will also finish the Book of Mormon in German before my departure date.

It's not that I'm trunky or anything, just that I am now old enough to do all of these stupid things!

Not Hermann, Not Ludwig, But Kevin

2010-08-09T05:14:00.001-06:00

It's kinda tough working with a Göhring... We get some looks on the street. This isn't my companion, this is a Nazi leader in charge of the Ausschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland. But the names are spelled the same, and they actually look pretty similar...

It's fun.

Tschüß, Elder Hebben

2010-08-02T08:14:00.001-06:00

It was his last P-Day today. We went to the world-famous Hofbräuhaus and had breakfast in Lederhosen. This is the Munich Hofbräuhaus, where Hitler delivered his speech and got enough popularity to march his way up to Berlin. We enjoyed the authentic 4 man brass band playing, stayed and talked a bit, then headed out to the St. Petrus Cathedral and hiked up to the top. We bought a comp tie, danced around downtown and had a way relaxed day. Next comes packing, then on Thursday, he is outta here.

It's a weird feeling fo sure-- I'm starting my last transfer. There isn't a missionary that's been here longer than I have... Elder Göhring is coming to me--he was trained by my Trainer, so we are brothers, and we have already worked together on at least 7 or so exchanges. It's gonna be a great last transfer!

Sushi

2010-07-26T08:23:00.000-06:00

...is why I'm late today. We went to a running Sushi place. I wanna put a picture of it on here, but I can't because these computers are dumb. Oh well, you'll have to wait 6 weeks to see it. (I put a picture of food I ate in Innsbruck. This was a porkroast from Peter Kojat, the Chef.)

I am counting this as my birthday dinner. All you can eat. I think my stomach ruptured. But it was gooood. Not as good as Flying Samurei, but still way good.

My 20th Birthday

2010-07-19T04:26:00.001-06:00

I hope this picture works. And I swear, I'm not that fat. My mouth was full of fries. And I was in Vienna...

In any case, this was taken by Elder La Count on my Birthday, 2009. In the picture are Elders Le Säec and Warncke. The picture was take at the Mission-famous Herbs restaurant.

21 isn't much different. We went to Pizza Hut and got pizzas. Then in the evening, we had a cake. It was actually Interviews, so it worked out nicely.

I got the card and the package... Thanks! The package actually came before the card, so I was a little worried. But everything got here! I still say we celebrate for reals on the 14th of October...

You Wanna Steal a Piece of Time

2010-07-12T05:23:00.001-06:00

aka- the conclusion of last week.

We went back right after we sent emails to the park. Construction was even more than before. They were tearing up the entire section where the card could have been. We decided we should just search that last segment, and I resolved that if we didn't find it in an hour, we would give up and that would be the end of it. So we searched...

and searched...

and searched...

and finally, a construction worker comes up to me and asks, "Is it a blue memory card with like Fuji or something written on it?" I say yes, and ask where he saw it. HE said he couldn't remember, but that it was somewhere on the patch that we were searching. So this all gave me new determination. It had been about 45 minutes, but now, I was determined to find it. So we searched some more, and no more than 2 minutes later, I find the USB stick. It was a little broken, like it got ran over, but after a quick plug-in, I found out that it still worked like a charm. But now the memory card. I couldn't find it anywhere, until this same punk construction worker comes walking over with it in his hand.

"You found it!"

He rubs his forefinger and middle finger against his thumb. You've got to be kidding me.

So I paid him. It wasn't too much, and I just wrote it off as a reward. Whatev. Something I'll laugh about in the future...

Point is: I found them and have all my pictures back!

Thanks for the prayers! God listens!

You Want to Make a Memory

2010-07-05T05:50:00.001-06:00

This is a sad entry today. And no, there is no picture. Let me explain.

We were heading back last night from the 4th of July barbeque our ward had (I love Germans) and we noticed that there was a storm coming in, full of lightning and darkness. We were walking across a huge park, called the Theresianwiese, back to our apartment, when E. Hebben asked to see my camera so he could get a cool picture of the lightening. So I proceed to take the camera case out of my bag and hand it to him. He takes the camera right out and is holding it for just the right moment.

In any case, the moment never came. Right as we were leaving the Wiese, I noticed something fall out of my camera case (that E. Hebben was holding) and saw it was one of my filled memory cards. I reached down and grabbed it, and asked if the other memory card and USB stick were in there as well. They weren't. So then began the mad search for about 1800 pictures lost somewhere on a field the size of Mariposa Park. We didn't find them. So we ran out to the Wiese this morning and did a little more searching. Still nothing. I think they are gone. It kills me. The 2 gig card was completly full (about 650 pictures) and the 8 gig stick was half full (another 1200 pics or so...). We are heading back there in a couple minutes, but it's like trying to find a needle in a hay stack... Forget it.

Just goes to show you, not all days are sunny and beautiful...

Ok, I can't end like that. The good news is that all the "good" pictures were on that memory card I found. All the baptisms and a lot of other good stuff. It would have been worse if I had lost that one...

Germany Wins 4:1

2010-06-29T05:26:00.001-06:00

Man, the World Cup is crazy here. I'm so glad I brought my Germany Jersey from 2006. This is a picture taken of the Leopoldstraße, shortly after Germany won. There were thousands of fans wearing jerseys and German flags, helicopters, car horns, you name it. Germany is going to the Quarter Finals, and the people are crazy. It reminds me a lot of the World Cup back when we were here. Looks like I have been 3 for 3 for World Cups in Germany. Let's see if they can pull this one off...

Dedication of the Rückertstraße 2 Ward Building

2010-06-21T01:21:00.001-06:00

This week, our ward building was dedicated. The dedication was done by Elder Kopischke of the First Quorum of the Seventy. It was kinda a big thing. We have been preparing for it for quite a while, and the entire weekend was filled with church tours, dance evenings and barbeque. It made the week interesting, and it's always cool to hear a General Authority speak. We'll see if it brought any fruit...

Hole In One

2010-06-14T04:49:00.000-06:00

We went golfing last P Day. The second picture is of Sis. Beutler and that yellow spot was her ball, flying towards my face. In the first picture, from left to right, E. Yanéz, E. Kuns, Isabell (an investigator), me, E. Hebben, S. Alder and S. Beutler.

We had fun. And hang on to your hats everyone. I won! Who said Kemsley's suck at golf?

I'm Gonna Miss Him...

2010-06-07T04:38:00.001-06:00

Well, the big news is in. All missionaries currently serving in Nuremburg Stake will be part of the Frankfurt Central Mission. That includes Elder Ballantyne. Sad times. The next time I see him will be after the mission! After HIS mission!

Sad times. I'm gonna miss him!

PS-- Nobody in my group was allowed to be transfered up... All that worrying for nothing...

Urban Surfing in Munich

2010-05-31T08:56:00.000-06:00

So, we were walking to an appointment this week when we came across something I have never seen. There was a huge river flowing through an aquduct kind of thing. In any case, the amount of water coming out from under this bridge caused a constant 6 or so foot wave. And here is the crazy part-- people were surfing on it! There were probably 12 or 13 surfers waiting on the bank of the river for their turn. Apparently, the water is ice cold and it's super dangerous to surf on-- when you fall, you can really slam down on rocks or who knows what-- but that didn't stop these guys. They were way good!

After a couple pictures, we headed off to our appointment. It was probably the coolest thing I've seen in Munich.

The Barbie Spoon

2010-05-25T05:29:00.001-06:00

Well, I was washing the dishes this morning when I came across this spoon. Does anyone remember how we used to fight over that spoon? Well, Wyn and I would fight about not having to use it and Lo would always try to be the one to get it. In any case, this little beauty ended up in our silverware... Funny how like can be like a boomerang sometimes...

Munich

2010-05-17T05:55:00.001-06:00

This picture was taken December 1, 2008. Hard to believe that I see this church out my window every morning...

Munich life is great. This city is awesome. I guess it's kinda cool-- how it started is how it's going to end... I was born here, and I will likely die here... Not bad, right?

Last One

2010-05-10T03:14:00.001-06:00

Pretty self-explanitory...

Loved chatting with you guys!

Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

2010-05-03T04:08:00.000-06:00

This week we went on a little hike. We had a referral that was quite a ways out, so we set a day aside in which we could find this lady. We set out on our journey at 11 am and walked and walked and walked...

Through forests, up mountains, along highways and over bridges, encountering all kinds of wildlife (see picture), we finally arrive in Windelsbach, contact the lady, and leave. She wasn't interested...

What a mess. I think all in all, we walked about 10 or so miles. She had no telephone number, so the only possibility to contact her was to make the trip... Never again though.

The snake was fun. We touched it! I think I've heard a thousand stories talking about someone touching a snake and having a bad experience (Tom Lawler's seminary devotionals...), but we couldn't help it...

Lederhosen

2010-04-26T08:10:00.001-06:00

We are emailing a little late today, as you may have noticed. Reason being? We decided it would be fun to run down to Rothenberg and have a Lederhosen P-Day. Since there are only non-existant mountains here in the Ansbach area, we decided to go to a historical city and rock our traditional clothing.

Seen above is Elders Wilde (in a trachten suit), Kemsley and Ballantyne. Walker is not photoed because he has no lederhosen...

Old Times

2010-04-19T03:09:00.000-06:00

This week, I was able to go on an exchange with Elder Ballantyne. He was my first companion in Innsbruck and was transfered to a city called Neumarkt after he worked with me. My district includes E. Ballantyne and his companion and the Regensburg area. I feel like I'm going back to my roots on this one!

It was fun though. Good to be back with an old friend...

Some Things Never Change

2010-04-12T05:44:00.001-06:00

This is my desk. I thought it might be a good idea to post all those comics Dad has sent me.

Don't really have anything too special with this one. I thought that this picture is worth a 1000 words-- note the Big Cheez-its, the Cigar Box, the Johovahs Witness Bible, the Zippo and the pen. I don't know if anybody has ever said this, but you can tell a lot about a person if you look at their desk...

Whatev.

Goodbye Brian, Goodbye Innsbruck

2010-04-05T04:24:00.001-06:00

Well, that's it. This picture is our going away party. David (red jacket, our wml), Mara, and Yecinia and her daughter, came to Bahnhof to run us off. It's sad to leave Innsbruck, but I'm liking it in Ansbach. Human nature for you. Never satisfied with what you've got.

I Hear Ansbach is Nice This Time of Year...

2010-03-29T03:46:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm on my way back to the Fatherland. Transfer calls came bright and early yesterday morning. I will be working in the Nuremburg Zone (AKA I will belong to the Frankfurt Mission as of 1 July, assuming I stay for that long) with Elder Walker. He goes home in 6 weeks...

Kinda crazy that I used to run track meets there... Let's just hope my new Mission President will keep me away from the Wiesbaden/Darmstadt area, or I'll be contacting some old friends...

Goods thing the Germany Munich/Austria Mission is getting a new name. I can still be loud and proud that I'm a GAMM missionary...

No more lederhosen though...

Painting

2010-03-22T04:18:00.000-06:00

This week, we had a service project for a member family moving to Germany. They asked us to paint the ceilings and walls of a couple rooms in their apartment. We got the job done in record time, but I leardned something in the process:

Never ask the missionaries to paint.

Thank Goodness the only paint we spilled was on ourselves...

This handprint is courtesy of Elder Woodall and was done right after he painted himself a goatee...

Warning

2010-03-15T04:18:00.000-06:00

The following image may be disturbing to some viewers.

In my defence, however, Taco Bell only makes a 6 inch tortillia. By the time the salsa, guacomolê, nacho cheese and sour cream are on there, there isn't any more room for the beef, lettuce, tomatoes and onions. It turned into a messy meal, but man, how tasty it was. Thanks for sending that! Mexican food has never tasted better!

PS - I promise I don't eat like this. This was a one-time thing.

A Year Ago Today

2010-03-08T03:48:00.001-07:00

Regensburg

March 8, 2009

Hard to believe that I'll be crossing the 18th month mark on the 10th.

This picture was taken on this P-Day one year ago. Pictured are (from left to right) Elders Jensen, Brown, Jevne, Kemsley, Erekson. To that point, those were all the Elders I had seen that came with me. This was a Zone P-Day in the Nürnburg Zone. We played football!

Innsbruck Elders

2010-03-01T03:37:00.001-07:00

This weekend, we noticed something. Of all the areas in the mission, no single ward has as many missionaries as Innsbruck. We currently have:

Innsbruck I -- Elders Kemsley and Woodall

Innsbruck II -- Elders Beckstead and Hebbert

Innsbruck Senior Couple -- Elder and Sister Meservy

That is a total of 6 full-time missionaries in this ward. There are some wards without missionaries, but Innsbruck is holding strong.

It's so awesome to be here! Long live Innsbruck!

Mitarbeiterschaft Anzug?

2010-02-22T05:27:00.001-07:00

Alright, the story of the H+M Suit. I've had my eye on this baby for the last 6 or so months. She is a European Beaut. I saw a member back in Vienna wearing this same suit to church, and he looked so fly, I decided then and there that I would buy that suit, if I was to ever find it.

Well, then I was transferred to Innsbruck. We visit the clothing store H+M weekly to check out what's new. You can imagine my excitement, as I find the suit, with the pants marked down to €9. I then proceeded to purchase 2 pairs of pants, the jacket and the sweet double-breasted vest. In total, this 3-piece two-pants work of European genius set me back around €110.

Then, we jump 3 weeks into the future. Elder Woodall then is also transferred to Innsbruck. We make our weekly P-Day trip to H+M, and I quickly realize that my then-€60-jacket has been dropped to €9. Elder Woodall then proceeded to purchase my suit for less than 1/5 what I paid. I justify it in my mind by thinking that I have a popular, and my jacket would have likely not been there, and also that since then, I have yet to see another vest in any size, let alone my size...

In any case, we will be wearing this Companionship Suit to Zone Conference on Thursday...

Mara and Rakel

2010-02-15T03:10:00.001-07:00

Pictured above, from left to right:
E. Woodall, Me, Mara, Rakel, E. Beckstead, E. Hebbert

Valentines Day was pretty fantastic. Everything worked out and went as smooth as butter. I am not going to lie, at the start of this transfer, I was a little hesitant and afraid that we were not going to be able to get everything taught. But sure enough, we went through all the lessons and they passed their baptismal interview!

The service was fantastic as well. It went way better than I thought it would. Mara is deathly afraid of water, so the whole baptismal font thing was a little bit of a stumbling block. But we got someone she really trusted to do the baptism, and she didn't have a problem at all.

Now the cool part: Afterwords, there was a little luncheon. Mara walks up to me and introduces me to a 10 year old by named Victor Grill. He saw the baptism and asked me when he could be baptized! We are meeting with him this week and are going to set a date for (at the latest) the second week in March.

Awesome, right? The members here are on fire!

A Rediculous Purchase

2010-02-08T03:20:00.001-07:00

Last week, Elder Beckstead saw something he had to have: A H&M Elmo pullover. Retro is in?

This face is to represent the type of person who would wear such a sweater.

PS- It has ELMO written down the left sleeve...

Missionaries...

Big News

2010-02-01T03:57:00.001-07:00

So, we got a phone call this morning. Effective 1 July, 2010, the number of German-speaking Missions will be decreased from 5 to 3. We will then no longer be known as the Germany-Munich/Austria Mission... Let's hear it for...

The Germany-Munich/Austria/Switzerland/Lichtenstein Mission

AKA The German South Mission.

Too bad that it happens in July. The chances of me working out of the current mission boundries are slim. Oh well, it's big news in the Mission right now...

Russell Holmes and Hypo Tirol Volleyball

2010-01-25T03:25:00.001-07:00

This Wednesday, the Elders had the oppurtunity to watch a Europeans League Championship Match for Volleyball. We watched the local Hypo Tirol play against a team from northern Italy. Number 14 on the team is Russell Holmes, a member in our ward from California. Russell is a superstar, standing about 6'11'', and plays center block not only for Hypo Tirol, but also for the US National Team. He decided that after he wins gold in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, he will retire from volleyball and move on to some business persuits he has been watching over the last few years.

Hypo Tirol qualified for the All Europeans Quarterfinals, taking place in mid- to late February. Right now, they are seated 1st in the Austrian League and are looking good for this All Europe Tournament.

Russell is featured on both the tickets and programs (what I am holding). On the poster behind me, he is the second player from the left in the second row.

And we have an eating appointment with him and his family this Saturday...

You might be able to see us in the game he played. Google "Hypo Tirol Januar 20, 2010" and see if you can watch the match. We are the 4 rowdy boys in white shirts and ties sitting on the front row...

Elder Woodall

2010-01-18T05:03:00.001-07:00

Meet Elder Braydon Woodall.

He comes from Roy, UT.
He is a die-hard fan of BYU Sports.
His father is a pharmacist.
He is in his 2nd transfer and was in Munich before.
He refuses to wear the color red. (see point 2)
His plans for life include going to BYU, graduating in something relating to history, getting married and living happily ever after somewhere in or near Roy, UT.
He is an awesome companion (the Y aside) and is excited and ready to be the best he can be.

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2010-01-11T03:47:00.000-07:00

For Elder Ballantyne's last P Day, we decided to go up into the mountains that occupy our backyard. Elder Ballantyne thought that we should wear our traditional Bavarian attire, dispite the below freezing temperatures in Innsbruck.

The view was fantastic, the P Day was wonderful, we were freezing... Poor Elder B only has short Lederhosen and no socks... His legs were purple by the time we went in...

Sweet though, right? Totally worth the discomfort and frozen body parts. Is there anywhere in the world more beautiful that Innsbruck?

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

2010-01-04T03:22:00.001-07:00

I think someone misdelivered your present... This was a sweet Porsche 356C I saw parked right outside of our church. It wasn't registered, so I don't know if it was real, but man, it was b-e-a-utiful.

Anyways, have a happy birthday and a great year. I love you!

The Euros

2009-12-28T03:18:00.001-07:00

This Sunday, I saw once again how awesome our ward is. David, our WML, noticed a couple weeks back that I had a hole in the seat of a pair of suit pants. After trying to explain that that is what a mission does to clothing, he told me I needed to do something about it...

Then comes the first Sunday after Christmas. David, being the collest and greatest WML ever, brought presents for the Elders here. The bag he brought had 3 ties and a suit (seen above). David got this suit from Br. Promstaller--the suit was bought for his son, but it didn't fit, so was given to David. David is a little taller and thinner than I am, and the suit just didn't work for him either. David thinks of someone in desperate need of a suit, I pop into his head, and he brings it for me! It is a little loud--brown with lighter brown pin stripes, but it fits me like a glove.

Just another Christmas miracle!

The picture is of the Euros--Elder Ballantyne in his recently bought european cut, and myself.

A-U-S-T-R-A-L-I-A vs. A-U-S-T-R-I-A

2009-12-21T07:17:00.001-07:00

I don't know if I am just lucky or what.

My boxes came. Box 2 of 2 arrived on Friday of last week. Box 1 of 2 arrived 4 days later, and after opening it, I realized an interesting sticker on the front of the box, near the customs form.

Apparently, the Austrailians are getting as annoyed as Mom is. Note the red arrows and circle around the large print AUSTRIA were NOT written by a Kemsley, or an American, at that.

Way to do, New Mexico division of the USPS...

Christmas Party

2009-12-14T03:30:00.001-07:00

Well, the Missionaries were asked to sing a typical American Christmas song this year. We decided to go all out and hick-ify Jingle Bells. Elder Ballantyne had Brad Paisley's instrumental version, and we wrote some hick lyrics to it... It wasn't the most reverant part of the evening, but it was a hit...

Also on the agenda that evening was the singing of typical Tirolian and Baverian Christmas songs, accomponied by Jakob Egger (the clone of Wyndham) and his accordian...

I got to mess around with it after the party... Rock on?

Krampuslauf and Christmas With the Schmidts

2009-12-07T03:47:00.000-07:00

The traditional Krampuslauf took place this last weekend. Here is how the story goes:

Back in mid-evil times, a small city was plagued with evil devils. These creatures would run around, whipping the townspeople and causing mayhem. They distroyed crops, scattered flocks and bullied children and adults alike. This pandemonium continued for a week, until the town leader summoned one St. Nicolaus from southern Austria to rid the city of these unwanted demons.

St. Nicolaus went through the city, performing exorcisms and the like, and as a sign of everything being ok, he put oranges and candies in the shoes of the children who were inside, afraid to leave their houses.

This tradition continues today, whipping included. Man, those things are freaky...

PS- (from left to right) Ballantyne, Hebbert, Beckstead and ME!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-30T03:44:00.001-07:00

Peter:

We'll start tonight with a Cream of Celery soup with a touch of fresh basil. A nice, full-grain wheat bread will be served to compliment the soup.

Afterwords, let us move onto our main course. We will be serving turkey breast filets in a red wine gravy and served with rice and fresh snow peas. Black current juice should complete the taste I am shooting for.

And to close tonight, we will be serving a homemade apple pie with a vanilla sauce and a scoop of hand-churned vanilla bean ice cream.

Bon Apitét.

Service

2009-11-23T03:38:00.000-07:00

Last week, we went with Br. Egger to help him prepare for next winter. We didn't know quite what we were getting into. Somewhere along the line, between the 200+ lbs meter-long logs and the chainsaws, we realized that this might not be a missionary-approved service project...

It was awesome though. I now understand what it means to "bear a cross."

PS- Mom, don't worry, it isn't too cold here yet. We were up in the mountains, and we were working hard, but a tee shirt was more than enough...

Frau Martina

2009-11-16T04:00:00.000-07:00

Well, this lady is Frau Martina. She is crazy. She stalks the missionaries and keeps tabs on where everyone goes. She sneaks pictures of us. She calls different missionaries and lies about her name to set up appointments with us. We are not allowed to meet with her and she is known throughout our mission as well as the other missions in Austria as a Do-Not-Contact person.

She lived in Wien, and came often to our ward. This picture, for example, was taken the day of the Palka's baptism. And she just re-found out where I am.

Needless to say, we can expect her to visit Innsbruck in the coming weeks...

PS- Props to Elder Hartmann for taking this picture.

Courtacy of Elder Ballantyne

2009-11-09T03:27:00.001-07:00

I forgot to bring my camera with me to the internet shop today, so I bummed his camera and am posting a picture his brother sent to him. This is not Elder Ballantine, but he has many similar pictures of himself...

Good times.

Peter Kojat

2009-11-02T03:21:00.001-07:00

What an awesome Halloween! Elder Ballantyne was saying it will probably be the best in his life. I couldn't agree more! Peter is going to be such a strong member of the church. He is definetly one of the coolest investigators I have ever met.

How awesome is it to be a missionary?

Innsbruck

2009-10-26T05:11:00.001-06:00

Elder Ballantyne weighs 100 pounds. That's how I can hold him up.

Elder Ballantyne was a wrestler. That's how he can hold me up.

This picture was taken after we played soccer in the Olympic National Stadium. No Photoshop was used in the making of this picture.

The Opera

2009-10-19T03:04:00.001-06:00

So this was my district (from left to right): Elders Erekson, Göhring, Ray, ME, Ek and Hartmann. We took this picture on our way home from seeing Le Bohéme. Bowties, we thought, would be a must, and we all wore them to District Meeting the next day.

Isn't the Munich Germany/Austria Mission the greatest in the world? Who else can go see an opera in the Vienna Opera House on a P-Day?

"...wie groß wird eure Freude sein..."

2009-10-12T09:31:00.001-06:00

The Palkas were baptized on Sunday. It was such a beautiful ceremony too. Everything worked out just as planned-- no clothing problems, so fall-out problems, just a smooth, wonderful service.

What a way to end my time here in Vienna. What an awesome experience to be a part of. How lucky I am that I was allowed to stay for so long. How great it is to be a missionary!

Thanks for the love and support. And the prayers! See you all next week in Innsbruk!

Who Lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea?

2009-10-05T09:16:00.000-06:00

Yeah, here is a lady I met in the bus. She didn't have any interest in the Gospel, but she let me take a picture of here sweet tat. Talk about a 40-year perspective...

Just Another Day in the Park

2009-09-28T03:55:00.000-06:00

Here is my district playing in a park near Schloß Schönbrunn. Pictured are Elders Göhring (blue), Erekson (white), Ray (brown) and me!

The second picture also has Elder Hartmann. Taken in front of Schönbrunn on 21 Septebmer, 2009. I love my district.

Baptism, Here We Come!

2009-09-21T03:33:00.001-06:00

Don't they look so nice in white? The wedding was excellent. The reception was interesting. The baptism is in 3 weeks and the family couldn't be happier!

The New Kids on the Block

2009-09-14T03:22:00.001-06:00

Elder Ray, Elder Erekson, Elder Hartmann, Elder Kemsley

Picture taken September 10, 2009, in honor of Elder Erekson's and my year mark.

I can't believe that I'm the oldest out of the Schlosshoferstrasse 50 Group. Or that we all have lederhosen. These kind of things don't happen very often.

I'm a Boy, I'm a Boy, I'm a Drinking Boy, I'm a Milk Drinking Boy

2009-09-07T04:43:00.001-06:00

= 150 leters of milk.

Started: July 10, 2009
Ended: September 7, 2009

Spencer, Jordan, Gavin and Reese

2009-08-31T08:35:00.001-06:00

Schöner Grüß aus den Bergen Österreichs.

We had a Lederhosen P-Day today -- up to Schneeberg, just outside of Wiener Neustadt. When I saw the cows, I remembered a promise I made to Spencer and family, saying that if I ever saw cows with big bells hanging around their necks on the side of the Austrian Alps, and I happened to be wearing Lederhosen, then I would have to take a picture.

Sie hat mich gern, wie ihr sehen könnt. Alles Liebe!

I Guess I Miss New Mexico

2009-08-24T02:51:00.001-06:00

I said a while back that I missed Dion's. I think it was just New Mexico all together.

Above are some peppers I found in a Turkish grocery store. Holy cow. They were hot. I think I'll make some Huevos Rancheros later this week.

And no, Mom, I'm not sick. The grapes were just a really good deal... Ha.

Like Father, Like Son...

2009-08-17T09:05:00.001-06:00

Above are Elder Smith's (my father) and my Zippo Lighters. He liked mine so much he bought his own.

Below are Elder La Count's (my son) and my Zippo Lighters. He liked mine so much he bought his own.

I'm such a bad influence.

I Miss Dion's...

2009-08-10T02:47:00.000-06:00

Does it show?

Die Taufe Wiens

2009-08-03T04:07:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago, there was a huge storm in Vienna. We've had some big storms in the past, but there was something different about this one. This time, the storm came on P-Day. Much splashing and wetness followed. This is the flooded (about 3-4" of water) subway station at Ottakring. I call it the baptism of Vienna.

Schloßhoferstr. 50

2009-07-27T03:38:00.002-06:00

Here is Elders Tolman, Bond, La Count and I in the elevator in our apartment. Totally myspaced, but now you know how my roomies look!

PS- Yes, that is the Schloßhoferstr. 50 "Apartment Tie."

I got what I wanted...

2009-07-20T02:16:00.000-06:00

Looks like you all hit the nail right on the head this year for my birthday! Thanks for all the stuff!

That's a 2006 BMW e46 M3, rally edition. We "coincidentally" doored this house and contacted the owner, and she let us take pictures of it.

What a day

2009-07-15T20:22:00.001-06:00

Me playing a Steinway full grand piano, valued around 150,000 euros!